Trials of the Desert
by The Supreme
Summary: Before he was Ganon, King of Darkness, he was Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo. And before that? He was a boy of the Gerudo tribe, who had to endure the Trials to become a man. This is the story of how Ganondorf, the sole male of the Gerudo Tribe, became Ganon, the mighty King of Darkness.


**Trials of the Desert**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any affiliated properties.**

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><p><strong>~Prologue~<strong>

In the vast, barren wasteland known as Gerudo Valley, there is nothing but sand as far the eye can see. There is little vegetation, aside from a few weeds and a sparse population of cacti, and even fewer animals. Life is virtually void from the pitiless desert; Any who foolishly stumble into the sands are cursed to spend an eternity wandering the lifeless plains. Some brave fellows have tried valiantly to explore the desert, to search its endless spaces for secrets and discovery, but all have been in vain.

Yes, it is said there is only one tribe of people who have successfully mastered the desert and made it there home: the eponymous Gerudo themselves. Tucked away in a secluded corner of the desert lays a towering fortress, a magnificent oasis in the sea of sand. Within its stone walls live the Gerudo, a relatively small tribe of women who make their livings as thieves and brigands. They are touted as naturally born warriors, raised to be the most formidable bandit force in Hyrule. They are cold, merciless, and brutal to their enemies, and form ties only to those within their tribe.

The tribe is almost exclusively women; the women of the tribe only pair with a man whom they deem worthy of giving them a strong child, and that task alone is a hefty trial. Even then, they rarely stay with those few men that can tame them, and outsiders are almost always forbidden from joining the tribe. The children born from Gerudo are also almost exclusively women; an old legend states that a male child is only born once every one hundred years, and that he is destined to rule the Gerudo as their king. Until that time, the tribe is headed by a pair of powerful witches, known as the 'Mothers of the Tribe'.

As fate predicted, one hundred years passed since the reign of the last Gerudo king, and a new male was born to the Gerudo tribe.

His name was Ganondorf.

Like the rest of the 'brats' in his tribe, he was raised to be a deadly warrior and a master thief. Yet his training was even more strenuous; ceaseless combat drills, hours of nonstop study of tactics and warfare, classes to teach the art of deception and cunning, studies on foreign cultures and the nature of politics, and many more rigorous exercises were hammered into the sole male of the tribe. He was taught to be the perfect warrior, the perfect bandit, the perfect assassin, and the perfect leader. He was to be the perfect king for the Gerudo.

He grew quickly, his skills advancing at a rate unseen by any other warrior. At the age of seven, he was already knowledgeable of most of the traditions in the tribe and could name nearly every major event in the history of the Gerudo. By the age of ten, he had already mastered swordplay and most of the Gerudo hand-to-hand combat forms. By the age of fourteen, he had even begun to train in the ancient magics of his tribe that frustrated even the most skilled of Gerudo spellcasters. Ganondorf was truly a prodigy unlike any other.

But for young Ganondorf, these things bored him - he was always confined to the fortress, always behind the safe walls of the tribe, as were all of the brats. He wasn't allowed to join in the bandit raids, or the occasional skirmishes between the warrior women and the Hylian soldiers. It frustrated him; he felt trapped within the safe embrace of the tribe, and though it was the same for all of the brats in the tribe, he felt he deserved more than them to experience the outside world. The thrill of battle, the exhilaration of hunting down his prey, the joy of leading his people as he so rightly deserved. He was the future king of the Gerudo, after all; shouldn't he have some experience before journeying out into the world? But every time he asked the Mothers of the Tribe, Koume and Kotake, they would simply tell him to wait for the Trials of the Desert.

The Trials of the Desert were the rites of passage within the Gerudo tribe: they were what signified when a Gerudo brat would reach womanhood (or in Ganondorf's case, manhood). The Trials represented the three cornerstones of the Gerudo way of life: to fight, to steal, and to survive. They were renowned for their grueling, almost brutal difficulty, and it was common for participants in the Trials to die trying to complete them. In the Trials, failure meant death - for if you couldn't survive a simple rite of passage, how could you survive the harsh reality that the desert forced upon you? But Ganondorf cared little for these facts; he longed for the day he could prove himself, for the day he could finally step out in the infinite desert. Into _his _desert.

He would complete the trials, and he would show the rest of his tribe that he was more than worthy of being called their king.

And soon would that day come.

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><p>Seventeen-year-old Ganondorf stood in the center of the large, dimly lit antechamber that lay in the center of the fortress, staring down at the Mothers of the Tribe, Koume and Kotake, as they droned on about the traditions of the Gerudo tribe and the great history that lay behind them. He struggled to listen to the doddering old fools; he had heard their lecture at least a thousand times, he didn't know why they assumed this one would be any more important.<p>

"...And let us not forget the great tradition of the Gerudo's first raid, child." Kotake's voice was like a buzzing insect in his ear. He had to strongly resist the urge to yell at the senile old witch - he didn't need to hear her explanation, he knew the importance of the first raid! they had drilled it into his memory by the time he was seven years old.

Even so, he kept his emotions in check as best as he could, his face remaining a composed mask to the elders.

"...Yes, your first raid is an important moment for a young Gerudo warrior," Kotake concluded, nodding her head with such force that Ganondorf was surprised she didn't snap her neck. "Of course, this is all assuming you pass the Trials," she added, a hint of a teasing playfulness in her eyes. She knew of his lust for success and recognition, his desire to be seen as the rightful ruler of the Gerudo. Few others she had met could match his ambition.

"I will pass, make no doubt of that," Ganondorf declared confidently. He had been training his entire life to rule the Gerudo, so he was certain that no matter the obstacle, he would be able to surpass it. After all, he was already considered one of the most talented brats of the tribe since he was practically an infant, so these Trials would be of no real concern to him.

"Don't become too overconfident, child," Koume chided motherly, a frown furrowing her heavily wrinkled features. "Too many before you have failed the Trials thanks to their hubris. It is a dangerous sin that you must be ever wary of."

Ganondorf rolled his eyes at the elder's advice. "I'm not being overconfident," he replied haughtily, "I'm simply sure of my own success. I've trained enough to know that I will pass these Trials, Mothers."

The Mothers nodded sharply in return. "We know of your strength and ability, and it is indeed extraordinary, even for a Gerudo male," Koume professed, a gentle smile entering her face, "but it takes more than raw talent to succeed at the Trials. Even the strongest and brightest of students have failed the Trials due to overestimating their own abilities. And you know that failure of the Trials _always _leads to death." The fond smile was immediately replaced by a stern scowl that could stiffen even the most fearless of Gerudo.

"I understand, Mother Koume," Ganondorf said in a much less haughty tone. "But I assure, I do not intend to fail. I will make sure I succeed, at any cost."

"Let us hope you will not need to win at any cost," Kotake warned sagely, pointing a gnarled finger at him. "Do not lose yourself simply to win the Trials, lest it will have been all for naught."

Ganondorf nodded seriously. "I will heed your advice, Mother Kotake. I won't let myself fall." Without waiting for them to dismiss him, he walked toward the gate which led back to the main courtyard.

Kotake shook her head as she watched him go. "That boy's arrogance and lust for glory seem to have no limit," she sighed in disappointment.

"Hopefully the Trials will still that hunger and quell that arrogance, and temper the boy into a fine king for our people," Koume responded hopefully. After all, that was the point of the Trials: to grant the children passage into adulthood, and cool their rambunctious spirits so that they may reach their full potentials as true Gerudo warriors.

"Whatever happens, I doubt he will disappoint us during the Trials," Kotake noted, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Indeed; he will surely show us the fruits of his training then. Only time will tell us who Ganondorf will become."

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><p>As Ganondorf entered the main courtyard, he immediately heard a voice call out to him.<p>

"Hey Ganondorf!" the bright and cheerful voice sang out.

Ganondorf turned to the source of the voice, finding a young Gerudo about his own age smiling brightly as she dashed towards him. Her fiery hair was cut into a short bob, and her golden eyes shined like miniature stars. Her smile was sunny and contagious - no member of the tribe could resist returning her cheerful grin. She had a splatter freckles that peppered her cheeks, making her look much younger than she actually was. Her ears were pierced with multiple studs and hoops, a relatively unusual practice for Gerudo, and she wore a rather revealing outfit that left little to the imagination.

"Hello Bahina," Ganondorf greeted as she caught up to him and matched his stride, a rare look of affection on his face. "Are you here to annoy me?" he asked jokingly.

She scowled at him. "No, I just saw you coming out from the fortress and figured you were getting lectured by the Mothers again," she explained, trying in vain to play it off casually. However, Ganondorf wasn't fooled; practically every time he'd get dragged into a lecture by the Mothers, she would be waiting for him to leave and instantly catch up to him. It had become almost a routine for them. She was almost always following him, like a cute little pet. He found it strangely amusing, even somewhat flattering.

"So what were they lecturing you on this time?" she asked. If there was one thing the Mothers were known for, it was there painful lectures that seemed to continue ceaselessly. It was made even worse by the frequency of their lectures, as they would even go into long discussions on matters as trivial as whether or not to eat before sleeping.

"They were just reminding me of all of the important traditions before my Trials," Ganondorf stated, his haughty attitude resurfacing now that he had left the Mothers' chamber. He scoffed. "As if I need another reminder. I probably know more about our traditions than they do, with how poor their memories seem to be."

"Don't be insulting the Mothers!" Bahina hissed, looking frantically over her shoulder as if to make sure the Mothers hadn't appeared out of thin air and began tailing them. "It's disrespectful to say such things about them!"

Ganondorf rolled his eyes dramatically. "You know those two have the memories of an insect, Bahina," he pointed out. "I'm only stating the truth - despite their great wisdom and respectable powers, they probably couldn't even remember their own names if someone didn't tell them."

Bahina shushed him furiously. "What if they catch you saying that, Ganon?!"

At that, Ganondorf laughed arrogantly. "What indeed?" he mused, as if the idea was preposterous. "I'm the future king of the Gerudo, Bahina, and I'm simply pointing out facts that I see in our tribe. There's no crime in what I say." After all, he was going to succeed them anyway, so what did matter if he made a few rude remarks about them?

"I'm just saying that you shouldn't act so confident before you even become king," she scolded, growing frustrated by now. Every time they spoke, they seemed to always have this same conversation. "I mean, you haven't even completed the Trials yet. What if -"

"There is no what if," Ganondorf cut her off sharply, a cold look in his eye. "I _will _complete the Trials. That's a fact."

"But even Variṣṭha died trying to complete the Trials!" Bahina protested angrily. She knew it was futile, as they had argued over his overconfidence countless times, but she still grew frustrated at his seeming disregard for the dangers involved in the Trials.

Ganondorf was silent for a moment, the only sound coming from his heavy footsteps. Finally, he spoke up, his voice calm. "Variṣṭha failed because she was weak."

"That's not true and you know it!" she countered viciously, her sunny look replaced by an angry scowl. "She was just as strong and skilled as you are, but she got cocky just like you, and then she..." Bahina's voice trailed off, and she had to struggle to keep herself from sobbing.

Ganondorf stopped abruptly, nearly causing Bahina to run into him. Then, to her complete shock, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Ganondorf was rarely ever so gentle and sympathetic, even to her. "I'm sorry, I was out of line. I shouldn't have insulted your sister," Ganondorf apologized gently. "I know that she was strong, I know that better than anyone else, and I know that she failed because of her hubris, but I'm not going to let that happen." His sympathetic gaze turned into a look of strong confidence. "I won't repeat her mistake; I will make sure I pass the Trials, and I will become a great leader to our people. This I swear."

Bahina's mouth hung open for a moment before a small smile returned to her. "I know you'll succeed!" she declared happily. "I just don't want you to screw up like sis!"

Ganondorf chuckled as they resumed walking through the courtyard. "Don't worry, I don't intend to make any mistakes."

Ganondorf couldn't describe why, but Bahina was the one person who could always seem to make him apologize, to see past his own deadly pride and rude demeanor. She was the only person he felt he couldn't look down upon, the only one he couldn't insult or hurt. Around everyone else he was arrogant, cocky, confrontational and mean spirited, but it was only around her that he displayed a kinder, softer side of his personality. Maybe it was because he had known her since the two of them were infants, raised by the same nurse maid. Or maybe it was simply because she was his only true friend. He couldn't explain why it was that he felt such a close attachment to her, but being around her was the only time he ever felt he could stop thinking about his ambition and his lust for glory.

And that frightened him.

"Say," she interrupted him from his internal ponderings, "When are your Trials, anyways?" she tilted her head curiously, a habit she had maintained since they were children.

"In ten days," Ganondorf answered, shrugging. "I wish it was sooner; I'm getting far too anxious - I crave a challenge."

"Well, it's tradition that the Trials are held within one month after one's seventeenth birthday. Besides, weren't you just saying that you weren't worried in the least about the Trials?" She gave him a sly smile as they stopped at the wall ringing the fortress. The two then climbed the narrow steps to the top of the wall, sitting precariously on the edge - the only way a Gerudo brat could get a good view of the wide desert.

"I never said I was worried, Bahina," Ganondorf said, staring out at the vast desert that he sought so deeply to conquer as his own. "I'm _anxious. _I'm sick of being stuck in this fortress - I want to explore the world, to see how far the desert goes." His eyes shined with a burning passion, a desire that had no limits. "I want to see everything in this world, Bahina. If the world is supposedly endless, then I shall be the one to disprove it, and find that end. If there is an end to this world, I'll reach it!"

Bahina gave him a toothy grin, even as she shook her head. "You're really greedy, you know that Ganon?" she teased, nudging him in the shoulder.

He gave her a smirk. "Of course I am. It's a king's duty to desire everything for the good of his people."

"Well, when you're king, I just hope I can be there to see the end to the world with you," she admitted softly.

Ganondorf finally took his eyes off of the view before and gave her a look of genuine care, a look that he'd give no one else in the entire tribe. "Of course, Bahina. There's no one else in the world that I'd rather have by my side when I'm king."

Ganondorf's voice was clear with honesty, and Bahina felt her heart flutter at his words. He would always be by her side, and she would be by his. He was more than just the future Gerudo King to her: he was her best friend, the one person she could trust to always be there for her.

And for that, she'd be by his side forever.

Even if he were to become a monster unlike any other, she'd follow him to the Doors of Death themselves to be with him.

Oh, how cruel the sands of fate may fall, however...

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><p><strong>That concludes the prologue of Trials of the Desert. This is going to be an origin story of Ganondorf, as well as a coming of age story of sorts for him. This story will mainly focus on the Trials, as the title implies, and also on Ganondorf's progression and eventual transformation into Ganon. <strong>

**Anyways, if you liked the story, review, favorite, follow, or do whatever. Thanks for reading!**

**Until Next Time, take my hand and let's swan dive towards adventure!**

**~The Supreme~**


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